Cycloalkylaminoacids and oxazolidinediones are useful compounds in the preparation of pharmaceutical agents. For instance, Cyclobutaneaminoacids are useful in peptide synthesis and for use in Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for cancer treatment (Refs. Kabalka, G. W.; Yao, M. -L., Tetrahedron Lett., 2003, 1879-1881. Srivastava, R. R.; Singhaus, R. R. and Kabalka, G. W. J. Org. Chem. 1999, 64, 8495-8500. Srivastava, R. R.; Kabalka, G. W. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 8730-8734. Srivastava, R. R.; Singhaus, R. R. and Kabalka, G. W. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 4476-4478.) Oxazolidinediones are useful in the synthesis of various amino acid derivatives. There is a need in the art for a scalable synthetic route for making these products using materials that are inexpensive and easy to work with.
There are few reported routes for the synthesis of cycloalkylaminoacids in the art. In 1937 Demanyanov reported a preparation of the compound shown in Scheme I from cyclobutanediamide by rearrangement to the hydantoin followed by basic hydrolysis.

(Demyanov, N. A.; Tel'nov, S. M. Izv. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Ser. Khim. 1937, 529), and described again in 1964 (Dvonch, W.; Fletcher, H.; Alburn, H. E. J. Org. Chem. 1964, 29, 2764). Modern variations of this scheme for different targets can be found in: Tanaka, K. -I.; Iwabuchi, H.; Sawanishi, H. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 1995, 6(9), 2271.
Another route for making cyclobutaneaminoacids is through a Curtis rearrangement as shown in Scheme II below. Haefliger, W.; Kloppner, E. Helv. Chim. Acta 1982, 65, 1837).

Ethylcyanoacetates have been used in cyclization reactions including the reaction of ethyl 2-cyanoacetate to make 1-cyano-cyclobutanecarboxylic acid ethyl ester: DE2353584. N. S. Zefirov, T. S. Kuznetsova, S. I. Kozhushkov, L. S. Surmina and Z. A. Rashchupkina, J. Org. Chem. USSR (Engl. Transl.), 1983, 19, 541-548. This is considered a very hazardous route, and practical only for making research quantities since azides such as diphenylphosphorylazide (DPPA) are well known as explosives, and would generally be unsuitable for pilot plant use or production.
Hofmann rearrangements of acid amides have also been reported. Huang, Lin and Li, J. Chin. Chem. Soc., 1947, 15, 33-50; Lin, Li and Huang, Sci. Technol. China, 1948, 1, 9; Huang, J. Chin. Chem. Soc., 1948, 15, 227: M. L., Izquierdo, I. Arenal, M. Bernabe, E. Alvearez, E. F., Tetrahedron, 1985, 41, 215-220: Zitsane, D. R.; Ravinya, I. T.; Riikure, I. A.; Tetere, Z. F.; Gudrinietse, E. Yu.; Kalei, U. O.; Russ, J. Org.Chem.; E N; 35; 10; 1999; 1457-1460; ZORKAE; Zh.Org.Khim.; R U; 35; 10; 1999; 1489-1492. For Hofmann reaction using NBS/DBU have also been described: X. Huang, M. Seid, J. W, Keillor, J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 7495-7496.